Relationship between Occlusal Vertical Dimension and Tongue Pressure in Complete Denture Wearers

Abstract

Data on estimating the vertical dimension of occlusion（VDO）for fabricating a complete denture based on tongue pressure, which is related to masticatory and swallowing functions, are scarce. This study aimed to examine the changes in tongue pressure on raising or lowering of the VDO from the most comfortable position（MCP）. Ten edentulous, including Eichner C3, patients with existing dentures（six men and four women; mean age, 78.6±7.14 years）were recruited from a hospital setting. Twelve different height-positioning stimulus stainless-steel blocks were used（from +1 mm to 6 mm and +9 mm and from -1 mm to -4 mm）. VDO from the most comfortable position （MCP）and the tongue pressure at the respective height were measured. One-way analysis of variance（ANOVA）and Dunnett’s test were performed to analyze the differences in tongue pressure at different VDOs. There were no significant differences between the stimulus intervals（-1 to -4 mm, p = 0.99）on lowering VDO from MCP. Tongue pressure decreased marginally when the VDO was raised +5 mm from the MCP（p=0.054）; it continued to show a significant decrease at +6 mm（p=0.041）and +7 mm（p=0.035）from MCP. Tongue pressure did not change significantly when VDO was lowered and raised to +5 mm from MCP. These results suggest that VDO may be set to 5 mm from MCP when fabricating new complete dentures.